Guwahati Oct 17 :
The Assam cabinet on Monday gave its nod to declare tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam.

A press release stated that the decision was taken at a cabinet
meeting held at the chief minister’s residence yesterday evening. A
formal notification is expected to be issued by the state government in a
day or two.

Tarun Gogoi, chief minister of Assam, had in November last
year declared tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam and the cabinet
yesterday approved the same. Gogoi had also assured the industry to try
and convince the Centre to declare the beverage as the ‘National Drink’
of India.

Recently, a parliamentary standing committee on commerce,
which was constituted on August 31, 2011, and submitted its report on
August 9, 2012, had recommended that tea be given the status of
‘National Drink’.

Welcoming the decision of Assam cabinet, Bidyananda
Barkakoty, chairman of North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) said tea had
been the only industry where Assam could retain its leadership for over
a century.

“Way back on May 8, 1838, three hundred and fifty pounds of
Assam tea were dispatched to London and sold at India House, London, on
January 10, 1839. Since then, over the last 174 years, it is the only
industry where Assam has retained its leadership”, Barkakoty said.

“Tea is indigenous to Assam and is an area where Assam can take a lot
of pride. Southern China and Assam are the only two regions in the
world with native tea plants”, added Rajib Barooah, chairman of Assam
Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA).

The tea industry is one of the largest employers in Assam. Assam tea
industry employs around 7 lakh permanent workers and another 5 lakh
seasonal workers. Another 10 lakh persons are dependent on Assam tea
industry.

Around 50 per cent of workers are women and hence, Assam tea
industry is the single largest employer of women. More than 3,50,000
hectares area is under tea cultivation in Assam.

Barkakoty said this
formal declaration of tea as the ‘State Drink’ will bolster the
marketing of Assam tea. “Tea is now accepted as a health drink world
over. This fact coupled with the “State Drink” tag will also attract the
large youth population of the region towards this health beverage,” he
added.

The tea industry expects that the ‘State Drink’ status to the
beverage would increase its per capita consumption in Assam from 650 gm
and help touch the national average which is about 730 gm.Assam’s share
to the total tea production of India is around 55 per cent.